尼尔森的工程师们加入了一场全行业的斗争，以剔除技术和工程中的种族主义术语。这项工作始于近两年前，受到了去年社会正义运动的推动，这场运动提高了全世界对系统性种族主义、认知偏见和其他诱因的整体认识。
For some time, technology terms with racist implications, such as “whitelist” and “blacklist,” have been under scrutiny. “There’s no reason to have that kind of nomenclature,” said Kay Johansson, Gracenote Chief Technology Officer. “It’s wrong. This is terminology that doesn’t serve a purpose and it has negative historical implications. We needed to change this.”
如今，包括高盛、Twitter、微软 Github、Linkedin、苹果和谷歌在内的许多其他公司也宣布了类似的努力，以删除排斥性语言。
"知道我们已经在推动这一变革，感觉很好。首席 DevOps 工程师 JaMile Jackson 说："我们不仅走在行业前沿，而且从社会角度来看也是如此。
向新术语的转变意味着建立一种替代语言。在某些情况下，采用新术语很容易，因为新术语实际上更合理、更直观。例如，在提及不应访问的术语列表时，"黑名单 "一词被替换为 "屏蔽列表"，"白名单 "现在是 "允许列表"。在提及数据库的层次结构时，"主数据库 "现在被称为 "主数据库"，其他数据库被称为 "辅助数据库"。
“Some of the terms made better sense, and people saw that those words were a more accurate description,” added Jackson. “So the adoption became more natural and people didn’t feel forced into it.” The team is systematically implementing changes within code and in Wiki pages.
This effort is a work in progress, and Johansson admitted that it will take time for everyone to catch on, especially when the words are tied to an employee’s actual role or work identity. “This requires a shift in mindset. But as the world is changing and we fight against racism, we’ve got to be more conscious about how these terms affect people,” said Johansson. “Anything new that we do or deploy from now on, we will not use that nomenclature. We are acting to change for the future.”
This effort is part of Nielsen’s commitment to hold ourselves accountable for diversity, equity and inclusion, and to be a partner for change. Over the past year, Nielsen has created solutions that highlight diversity discrepancies across news 和 entertainment, with the goal of empowering media organizations and content creators to put their customers and communities first.
"我们深知，创造更美好的媒体未来，不仅要确保观众能看到和听到，还要培养一种包容多元声音的文化。首席多元化官 Sandra Sims-Williams 说："这是我们希望看到的行业变革，通过我们的洞察力和解决方案，我们让其他人也能做到这一点。
